Volleyball Falls in Five to UC San Diego

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Belmont University Volleyball Program (4-7) fell in five to UC San Diego (8-4) in their home opener of the 2023 season. The Bruins worked their way back from down 0-2 to force a fifth set but ultimately dropped the final set versus the Tritons. 
 
How it Happened
 
The Bruins were in control early during set one. A kill by Brenna Kauffeld and an ace by Lilly Lutz put Belmont up 14-11 midway through the first. The rest of the set became a back-and-forth battle between the Bruins and Tritons. Ally Peterson put one away to give the Bruins a 20-18 late lead. Despite the early control, Belmont recorded a couple unforced errors towards the end and dropped set one 24-26.
 
UCSD ran with the momentum from set one to race to a 4-0 lead to start the second. A pair of kills from Emily Warmenhoven and Peterson ended the Triton's early run. The tritons quickly got the serve back at 3-6 and never let up the rest of the set. UCSD's heavy arms kept the pressure on Belmont's defense and lead them to a commanding 14-25 set two win.
 
Belmont came out fighting in set three. With an ace by Elizabeth Godfrey, the Bruins jumped to an early 4-1 lead. UCSD came back to reclaim the lead 16-12 midway through the set. With three kills from Kauffeld and a few attacking errors from the Tritons, the Bruins were able to come back and take the lead 18-17. Belmont led the rest of the way and claimed set three 25-21.
 
Set four was all Belmont to start. The Bruins went up 11-8 behind three kills from Kristen Clemons, Sydney Willis and Warmenhoven. Belmont went on a 4-0 run midway through the set to push the lead to 15-10. The Bruins continued to control the tempo and finished set four 25-17 off an ace by Laura Shoopman and a kill from Willis. 
 
Belmont jumped out to an early 4-1 lead to start the fifth set. UCSD came back with a 5-0 run to take the lead 4-6. Middles Clemons and Willis recorded two kills to keep the Bruins in the set at 6-7. The Triton offense started to heat up and sparked another run late in the set. UCSD continued to apply pressure and took set five and the match 10-15.
 
Up Next
 
Belmont will meet Jackson State (4-5) tomorrow at Kean Hall on Tennessee State's campus at 10 a.m. CT. The Bruins will return to the Curb Event Center tomorrow evening to finish off the weekend against Tennessee State (0-9) at 6 p.m. CT.
 
Both single match and season tickets are on sale. Season tickets are $50 per seat and include all volleyball home games. Click here to purchase your single match or season tickets. 
 
Follow Belmont volleyball on social media - @BelmontVB  on Twitter, @belmontvball on Instagram - for complete coverage of the Bruins. Stay up to date with all of Belmont's athletic programs via the official app of the Belmont Bruins, available both in the Apple App Store and on Google Play.